RE: The heavy lifting http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-abdullah-20100415,0,474968.storyDear Editor,
Delighted and relieved to see the Chicago Tribune's "The heavy lifting- On Thursday, King Abdullah II of Jordan visited the Tribune editorial board and offered a healthy perspective on this. In essence, he said the U.S. president's involvement is welcome but the responsibility for advancing peace terms falls squarely on the leaders in the Middle East."
Caught in between Israeli extremism and the rise of Islamic militancy a real Palestinian state might fail before it ever even has a chance to become anything more than a precious dream for countless people.... and the ramifications such a failure would be horrifically tragic for all involved- and every neighbor.
A fully secular two state solution in line with international law (as well as respecting all basic human rights and freedoms on all sides of every border) would help stop the religious extremism, corruption, tyranny, violence and escalating injustice and despair created by the contentious Israel/Palestine conflict.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
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RE: When Armageddon lives next door
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-morris16-2010apr16,0,6295075.story
Dear Editor,
Israeli Benny Morris targeting Iran, writes of a perceived threat in his "When Armageddon lives next door"... Morris myopically ignores the very real Armageddon that Israel has been imposing on the men, women and children of historic Palestine for the past century and how Israel's anti-Palestinian policies and propaganda have very much inspired and empowered the rise of Islamic militancy all through out the Middle East.
Morris also foolishly forgets the fact that Israel with its huge arsenal of lethal weaponry (plus its ongoing anti-Palestinian policies) has very much led the way for a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. As news of the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland drifts over Europe closing airports (as well as making some very pretty sunsets far far away from the original eruption) can we really pretend that the fallout from any nuclear detonation will be contained within the borders of the country attacked.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
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RE: The Living and the Dead By Roger Cohen
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/16/opinion/16iht-edcohen.html?ref=opinion
Dear Editor,
Roger Cohen's most recent seemingly reasonable column "The Living and the Dead" addresses the Palestinian refugees and the right of return as if to dismiss it. My concern is that Israel, as a fully sovereign nation, has been violating international law since the beginning regarding Refugees, Borders & Jerusalem
Please note from the start: "The United Nations had certainly not intended that the Jewish State should rid itself of its Arab citizens" 5 May 1949 Application of Israel for admission to membership in the United Nations http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/85255e950050831085255e95004fa9c3/1db943e43c280a26052565fa004d8174?OpenDocument
Six decades later, in refusing to respect the Palestinian refugees right of return Israel finds it far too easy to continue to demolish Palestinian homes, fragment Palestinian families, and deny Palestinian men, women and children full and equal rights and real freedom anywhere. In 1948 United Nations Mediator Count Folke Bernadotte pointed out that "It would be an offence against the principles of justice if those innocent victims of could not return to their homes while [Zionist] immigrants flowed into Palestine to take their place." This is still true today.
Cohen is right that moving beyond war is crucial for everyone's sake. I also agree that Fayyad's state building plans are a great idea AND for the sake of their own identity I very much hope most Palestinian refugees decide they would rather be legally and officially Palestinians invested in Palestine rather than Israelis invested in Israel. BUT Cohen is wrong to assert that the right of return as an objective "locks Palestinians in an illusory past" for it is a very real current reality of continued home demolitions and forced displacement that proves the importance of fully understanding, respecting and honoring the Palestinian refugees right of return.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world." Eleanor Roosevelt
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